Personal Information

Name

Clovis Mwamba

Bio

I arrived in Australia on the 11th of April 2007 after fleeing persecution in the Democratic Republic of Congo because of work defending human rights and the rule of law reporting. This is my story…
 
I was born and grew up in Katanga, eastern Congo.
As a young psychologist and African linguist in the province of Kasai, Democratic Republic of Congo, I had observed the troubles of a group of rural children called “Ntumba” (in English - meteorites). These children practiced a high degree of permissiveness; behaviour which was in flagrant contradiction of the culture of law in urban areas. This “deviant” behaviour was ascribed to the possession by spirits. In the past, such children were disposed of as soon as they were born (infanticide) and the parents were banned from society (ostracism).
The meteorite children posed the crucial problem of acceptance, and rejection of the other. This is a universal issue, examined in the whole world today, not only in terms of “desired births”, or birth spacing, but also, beyond individuals, in terms of ethnicity, and racism with its grave psychological and social consequences.
 
At the end of Cold War, a wave of democracy spread over Africa. A National Sovereign Conference took place in Congo to define a new order (1991-1992).
A transitional Parliament was set up with a new Constitution for a new Republic and to elaborate an electoral law. I was a member of both national institutions aiming to put an end to dictatorship (1992-1997). President Mobutu was at that time the dictator in the DRC, refusing to relinquish power. My fight for human rights, democracy and the rule of law caused me to be abducted and imprisoned without trial.
 
In 1991 I led the “Red” opposition press in the country. Agents of the Government called “hiboux” set about to assassinate political opponents, blow up newspaper offices, even newsvendors were killed in the streets. I worked for four newspapers and in each one I used a different name. Only the news editor knew my real identity.
 
In 1997 Laurent Kabila took power in Congo from President Mobutu. I stayed in the opposition when I saw that he was more terrible, more criminal than Mobutu had ever been. I continued to write under pen names. I was wanted.
 
In 1998 Kabila was at war with Rwandan Tutsi. Rwandans won more and more cities. I was the first one who revealed that the DRC Interior Minister had fled from Congo. This news was a big scandal around the country. The newspaper’s office was closed; all the journalists were arrested and put in jail.
 
When Kabila seized power he said that it would be only for 2 years. So in 1999 we decided to organise a demonstration. I organised the entire opposition movement through my newspaper. A few days before the demonstration in 1999, I was arrested by the “Tigers” (Presidential Police). They were supposed to kill me. They tortured me. I knew a lot of secrets. They wanted a confession. They put me in the secret death room where they executed people. In the cell there were some Tutsi. The floor was covered in the excrement of executed people. (Amnesty International, Reporters without Borders, Committee to Protect Journalists) took my case… The Chief Prosecutor decided to free me.
 
Eventually I was released but I wasn’t free. I was confined to house arrest house. I spent my nights writing in the basement. I wrote a document to explain all what I saw in those cells and all I knew about executions and crimes. …
 
I was from this time unsafe, under tension, and in permanent fear of my life. Even after fleeing to Congo Brazzaville as a political refugee my life continued to be in danger.
 
I fought for human rights, human values, respect, dignity, and democracy. I wrote many articles and political analyses. Having rubbed shoulders with the leaders of the country, I saw many things – the reality of the misuse of power. I experienced many things; I saw people, murderers and killers, mixing in the circles of Kabila.
 
In November 2007, I was able to witness the Australian Federal election, my first experience of the democratic process in many years. In 2007 I celebrated Christmas and New Year’s Eve in peace - the first in a long time…. For many years I was unsafe. I couldn’t walk or sit without a wall behind me because I needed to see all the persons arriving in front of me.
 
In 2008, I commenced employment working with Spectrum Migrant Resource Centre as African Parenting Educator. In this field, we are helping the disparate Congolese refugee community to produce positive parenting outcomes in a new culture. Our project aims to empower parents from Congo to enhance their parenting skills and empower them in facing the challenges of raising families in a new Australian cultural, social and educational environment. The program enhances parents’ knowledge and understanding of Australian social and cultural values and parenting practices and child rearing as well as disciplining children in positive constructive ways. A guide arising from this project will be produced in the first half of 2009.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

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www.newaustraliamedia.org

History

Member for

3 years 2 weeks